KING LOUIS XVIII (FRANCE) - MANUSCRIPT DOCUMENT SIGNED - HFSID 26791

KING LOUIS XVIII
He signs this pay order which details the breakdown and allocation of funds in an informal ledger format
Manuscript Document Signed: "Louis Stanislas Xavier". 4p integral leaf (2 pages containing written text), 8¼x13 (front and verso). In French, beginning "The following sum of money of three hundred three thousand fifty nine pounds…" and continuing on to a leger listing different items purchased with the aforementioned amount. King Louis XVIII, born Louis Stanislas Xavier (1755-1824), the younger brother of King Louis XVI, was Count of Provence, but had little influence during his brother's reign. He fled France in 1791, at the same time his brother the King attempted to do so. After Louis XVI was executed in 1793 and his son, whom legitimists called Louis XVII, died in prison in 1795, the Count of Provence became Louis XVIII, a hollow title while the revolutionaries, and then Napoleon ruled in France. With Napoleon's defeat, Louis XVIII was restored to the French throne by the victorious allied powers, reigning until his death in 1824 (except for the "Hundred Days" of Napoleon's return from exile. Louis XVIII had learned from the experience of the revolution, tried to rule as a constitutional monarch, and enjoyed some popular support. He feared correctly that his younger brother, the Count of Artois, who became Charles X after his death, would try to rule autocratically, and would be consequently be overthrown, as he was in 1830. Toned pages worn. Several faint vertical and horizontal indentations. Left margin of leaf worn. Otherwise, fine condition.